U.S. patent number 5,402,904 [Application Number 08/132,436] was granted by the patent office on 1995-04-04 for reusable beverage can cover or lid.
Invention is credited to William T. Close.
United States Patent |
5,402,904 |
Close |
April 4, 1995 |
Reusable beverage can cover or lid
Abstract
A reuseable lid for beverage cans which includes a cammed hinged
flip lid (which is capable of being locked in place in an open or
closed position) drip prevention lip protection shield, a release
lever for greater mechanical advantage for removing the lid, and an
integral grating which prevents insects and debris from entering
the beverage can.
Inventors: |
Close; William T. (Brookfield,
WI) |
Family
ID: |
24559426 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/132,436 |
Filed: |
October 6, 1993 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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854767 |
Mar 20, 1992 |
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638291 |
Jan 7, 1991 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/254.3;
220/730; 220/713; 220/717; 220/832 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
51/007 (20130101); B65D 2517/0098 (20130101); Y02W
30/807 (20150501); B65D 2517/0022 (20130101); Y02W
30/80 (20150501) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
51/00 (20060101); B65D 051/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/254,703,704,711,713,716,717,718,730,306,335,338 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Shoap; Allan N.
Assistant Examiner: Stucker; Nova
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wheeler & Kromholz
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
07/854,767, filed on Mar. 20, 1992, abandoned, which is a
continuation of Ser. No. 07/638,291, filed on Jan. 7, 1991,
abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In combination a beverage can and a reusable cover for covering
the beverage can having an outside surface and top surface
including an opening, defined by a portion of the top surface, from
which a human being may drink a beverage, said reusable cover
comprising:
a lid section, a flip lid section, a hinge means for connecting
said flip lid section to said lid section;
said lid section including a drinking depression having a flip lid
receiving section, the flip lid receiving section having a sidewall
which defines an opening for allowing liquids to pass out of the
beverage can, through the opening in the beverage can, through the
lid section;
said sidewall having a channel;
said drinking depression being defined by a sidewall and said
bottom opening;
said lid section further including a drip lip means for preventing
drips from running down the side of said lid section and the
beverage can and a lip shield means for preventing and protecting
the lips of the drinker from making contact with outside surface of
the beverage can;
said flip lid section including a flip lid, a clasp end for holding
said flip lid up and away from said bottom opening of said lid
section, and an outer lip;
said outer lip having a rim that is engageable with said channel of
said sidewall which defines the opening for allowing liquids to
pass out of the beverage can;
said hinge means releasibly connecting said flip lid section to
said lid section.
2. The combination of claim 1 in which the opening in the drinking
depression for allowing liquids to pass out of the beverage can is
covered by a grating.
3. The combination of claim 1 in which said flip lid is capable of
swinging approximately 180 degrees from an open to a closed
position.
4. The combination of claim 1 in which the reusable cover is made
out of plastic.
5. The combination of claim 1 in which the drinking depression is
contoured for drainage.
6. The combination of claim 2 in which the grating has long slits
and short slits; the short slits be spacially positioned in
relation to the long slits so that liquid passes through the long
slits while air passes through the short slits.
7. In combination with a drinker's beverage can an improved
reusable cover for covering the drinker's beverage can, the
improved reusable cover having a lid section including a top
surface having a drinking opening, the drinking opening being
covered by grating, a front drinking opening side located below the
drinking opening, a hinge connection area, and a rear lever side
located opposite the drinking opening, and a flip lid section
having a hinge end engaged with the hinge connection area, the flip
lid section for covering the grated drinking opening, the
improvement comprising:
a drip prevention means for preventing the liquid from dripping
done the side of the can after each use;
a lip protection means for protecting the lips of the drinker from
contact with the side of the beverage can;
a release lever means for aiding in the removal of the lid section
from the beverage can;
said drip prevention means being located on the front drinking side
of the lid section;
said lip protection means being located below said drip prevention
means; and
said release lever means being located on said rear lever side of
said lid section.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of can lids
and specifically to lids for use on aluminum or metal beverage
cans.
The applicant knows of no prior art which teaches the unique
structure of his invention. U.S. Pat. No. 2,753,051 discloses a
hinge on a pintle for sealing a container. Otherwise none of the
structure of the present invention is shown. U.S. Pat. No.
3,372,832 (Yeater) discloses a removable cover for containers.
Essentially it is a plastic cover having a pop down lid which locks
into place by the force of the user pushing on the cap so that the
projections 23 on the bottom side of the cap are pushed past the
constricted middle section 16. The structure of the present
invention is not disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,255 (Fournier)
discloses a two-part lid hinge. The two sections of this lid are
connected by a hinge 16 which just may be a piece of plastic. The
two sections are oriented so that the second section can be hooked
over and on to the first so that the peripheral channel of the
second section engages over the peripheral channel of the first
section to provide a shallow space between the two sections bounded
by a peripheral seal. Small openings are provided in a first
section leaving a relatively large continuous imperforate area in
that section. A removal tab is provided for forming a drinking
opening in the second section, the tab being positioned so that it
is disposed opposite the imperforate area in the first section.
Again the structure of the present invention is not specifically
disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,559 (Lombardi) discloses a lid for a
food container. It is a plastic cover that snaps over the top of a
food container having a section of that lid that has been cut out
so that it may be folded back along a hinge 22. The hinge does not
have or disclose the present invention's structure nor does the cap
itself disclose the structure of the present invention. U.S. Pat.
No. 3,994,411 (Elfelt) discloses a lid for drink cups that includes
a drinking flap of limited circumferential extent that may be
selectively pivotally opened and closed. Such a drinking flap may
be initially defined by frangible, i.e. breakable, lateral edges in
the lid and may be held in its open position by the pull tab on the
flap being inserted in a slit for a straw orifice. Essentially all
this patent discloses, that is pertinent to the structure of the
present invention, is a cap with hinges. The Elfelt structure does
not appear to be re-usable. U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,200 (Bush)
discloses a child resistant dispensing closure. Again, the
structure of this invention is much different from the structure of
the present invention and all that is really pertinent with this
reference is the fact that there is a cap with a hinge. U.S. Pat.
4,361,250 (Foster) discloses a plastic container closure. This cap
may be re-usable and has a flap or portion of the cover that flips
open, similar in function to the present invention, in that the
flap of Foster seals well. However, the structure of Foster is
different from the structure of present invention. The hinged flap
of Foster has hinge strips with depending pins formed along the
sides of the flap that are integrally connected with the flap by
tearable webs. After the flap has first been closed, the pins are
anchored to the top of the closure and prevent the flap from
opening during shipment of the container. Initial opening of the
flap is effected by swinging the flap upwardly with a substantial
force to tear the webs and separate the webs from the strips and
the anchor pins. The torn webs provide visual indication that the
flap has been opened. Accordingly, this is apparently a one use
device or cap since once the webs have been torn the re-useability
of the device is questionable. It is designed to be tamper
resistant and tamper evident packaging. The structure of the
present invention is not disclosed. U.S. Pat. 4,494,679 (Cleevely)
discloses a thermoplastic container closure for dispensing solids.
Again, this is another structure showing a hinged flap or flip cap.
However, this flip cap does not appear to have a pintle hinge-type
structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,326 (Morehead) merely discloses a
protector for a drink can opening. Specifically it is a device
designed to attach to the portion of the lid where the pop tab or
the pull tab is located so that it can be swung over or
incorporated into the structure of the pop can lid in order to have
a grating in place over the drinking opening and prevent the
ability of insects like bees to enter into the container. Other
than the slits the structure is completely different from the
present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,214 (Dart) discloses a
non-spill drink through lid. Slits to drink through are disclosed.
No other structure of present invention is disclosed. U.S. Pat. No.
4,619,372 (McFarland) discloses a cap for a hot beverage cup. The
cap is a disposable, removable closure cap for beverage containers
and includes a depression permitting the beverage to be drunk while
the cap remains in place on the container. The cap includes
perforations in a depending wall located closely adjacent an inner
wall of the container in order to limit the flow of beverage into
the depression defined in the upper surface of the cap. A slit in
the cap permits the aroma of the beverage to be enjoyed while the
beverage is being drunk from the depression. The cap may be formed
from sheet plastic material. This structure is completely different
from the structure of the present invention, although it does
disclose slits. It does not disclose the lip protection feature of
the present structure although the well 28 of the McFarland device
is designed to produce a somewhat similar effect. However the
structure is completely different. U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,088 (Durgin)
discloses a beverage container lid which includes a foldable flap
which may be opened to allow the user to drink from a beverage
container which is covered by the lid. A recess in the beverage lid
is provided to receive the opened flap and to firmly secure the
flap in its open position. The recess includes a pair of detentes
on either side and an overhang at one end which cooperate to hold
the flap firmly within the recess. The flap of course is also
hinged. The structure of this cap is different than the structure
of the cap which is the present invention, although it appears that
recess 40 allows the flap to be flipped back and locked in place so
that it is out of the way when a person drinks from the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,865 (Turner) discloses a container lid with an
integral stop. Essentially the structure of Turner is quite
different from the present invention's structure and the main
similarity is the fact that it discloses a hinged flap on the lid.
The hinge is molded unitarily to the upper margin of the central
support in the cover. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,774 (Nabinger)
also discloses a removable and re-sealable lid for a container but
Nabinger's structure is much different from the present invention's
structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a lid for covering a drinker's beverage
can, the lid comprising: a lid section, a flip lid section, and
hinge means for pivotally connecting the lid section to the flip
lid section. The lid section includes a depression having an
opening for allowing liquids to pass from the can through the lid
and an inner side wall, a drip lip designed to prevent drips from
running down the side of the lid, a lip shield means for preventing
and protecting the lips of the drinker from making contact with the
beverage can. The inner sidewall having a channel. The flip lid
section includes a flip lid, a clasp end, frictionally engageable
with a portion of said lid section, for holding the flip lid up and
away from said opening while liquid is passing from the can through
the lid, and an outer lip. The rim having an outer lip that is
engageable with the channel of the inner side wall of the
depression. Whereby when the flip lid section is flipped down, the
rim locks in place, in the channel, and prevents the escape of any
of the liquid from the can.
Alternatively, the invention may be summarized as an improved cover
for covering a drinker's beverage can having a lid section
including a drinking opening, a front drinking opening side, a
hinge connection area, and a rear lever side, and a flip lid
section having a hinge end, the flip lid section for covering the
drinking opening, the improvement comprising: a cammed hinge means
for pivotally connecting the lid section to the flip lid section,
drip prevention means for preventing liquid from dripping down the
side of the can after each use, lip protection means for protecting
the lips of the drinker from contact with the sides of the beverage
can, and release lever means for aiding in the removal of the lid
section from the beverage can; said cammed hinge means being
located on the hinge end of the flip lid section; said drip
prevention means being located on the front drinking side of the
lid section; said lip protection means being located below said
drip prevention means; said release lever being located on said
rear lever side of said lid section.
The lid in addition to its unique structure provides a simple and
efficient way to maintain the freshness and carbonation of the
beverage contained within the can.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a top plan view of the lid section of the lid.
FIG. 2 shows a side cross-sectional view of the lid section.
FIG. 3 shows a bottom plan view of the lid section.
FIG. 4 is a cut away side view showing a portion of the lid
attached to the top edge of a beverage can.
FIG. 5 is a rear cross sectional side view of the flip lid
section.
FIG. 6 shows the bottom of the flip lid.
FIG. 7 shows the top of the flip lid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable
those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical
embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which
may be embodied in other specific structure. While the preferred
embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without
departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.
The invention is an improved cap 10 for a beverage can. The purpose
is to allow a user to cover the unused portion of his or her
beverage to prevent spillage, spoilage, or the invasion of insects
into the can, once the can has been opened. Also, the cap 10 allows
the user to store the unused portion of his or her beverage once
the can has been opened. Further, grid or grate 123 (described
below), located over the opening of the can, of the cap 10 help to
prevent debris and insects from entering into the can.
The cap 10 comprises two parts: a lid section 100 and flip lid or
lid section 200. Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the lid section 100
comprises a half oval shaped depression section 110, a flip lid
receptacle section 120 having a channel 121, a grating 123 located
in the flip lid receptacle section 120 (this is positioned over the
opening of the beverage can when the cap 10 is in use), the grating
123 having a set of long slits 124 and a set of short slits 125, a
drip lip 126, a pair of hinge receptacles 127, a lid release lever
128 located on the rear lever side 129 of the lid section 100, a
sloped section 140 located approximately in the center of the top
of the lid section 100, and a lip shield 130.
Referring to FIGS. 4-7, the flip lid section 200 comprises a clasp
end 201, an outer lip 204, a rim 202 located on the outer lip 204,
and a hinge 205 having two prongs 206. Compressing the flexible lid
section 100 enables the prongs 206 to be snapped into the hinge
receptacles 127. The lid section 100 may then be released and the
hinge receptacles 127 pushed over the ends 210 of the prongs
206.
Also, referring to FIGS. 5-7, the flip lid section 200 has a cammed
section 250 located on the hinge 205. The cammed section 250 has a
projection 25 1. The projection 25 1 of the cammed section 250
frictionally engages the sloped section 140 of the lid section 100
such that the flip lid section 200, when moved up and away from the
grating 123, acts as a lever which causes the cammed section 250 to
wedge the projection 251 against the sloped section 140 with
sufficient force to produce frictional engagement between the
projection 251 and the sloped section 140 so that the flip lid
section 200 cannot fall back over the grating 123 when the can is
tipped, as when a person takes a drink of a beverage from the can.
This prevents the flip lid section 200 from contacting a person's
nose while that person is drinking from the can. Further, the force
of frictionally engagement is such that, while the weight of the
flip lid section 200 is insufficient to overcome this frictional
resistance, only the slight effort of a human hand or other slight
additional force is required to disengage the projection 251 from
the sloped section 140 and thus move the flip lid section back into
place over the grating 123.
Once the flip lid section 200 is in place the clasp end 201 located
on the end containing the prongs 206 on the flip lid section 200 is
in position to engage the notch 129 of the lid section 100 so that
when the flip lid section 200 is flipped back for the purpose of
allowing a person to drink the beverage contained in the can
covered by the cap 10 it is locked in place, as described above, so
that the flip lid section 200 does not fall down and strike the
person while they are drinking. When it is desired to have the flip
lid section 200 closed, the outer lip 204 of the rim 202 is snapped
into the channel 121 located on the side wall 135 of the drinking
section depression 122. (see FIG. 2) Thus locking the flip lid
section 200 in a closed position and preventing any liquid from
pouring out or loss of carbonation.
Referring specifically to FIGS. 2 and 4 it may clearly be seen that
the drinking section depression 122 is defined by the side wall 135
and the grating 123.
The long slits 124 of the grating 123 are designed to allow liquid
to pass through them while the short slits 125 are designed to
allow air to enter into the can as liquid is removed.
The drip lip 126 is located directly in front of the depressed
smile shaped or oval section 110 and the grating 123. Section 110
is contoured for drainage through the grating 123. The drip lip 126
is designed to prevent drips of beverage from running down the side
of the can. It is designed such that the lip of the person who is
drinking the beverage from the can will strike it as they tip the
can back and thereby wipe away any beverage remains which could
potentially form a drip which would slide over the lip 126 and down
the side of the can. The lip shield 130 of the lid section 100 is
directly located under the drip lip 126. This section is provides
comfort to the drinker so that his lips only press against the lid
section 100 and not the beverage can.
Finally, the lid release lever 128 located on the side 129, that is
directly opposite the drip lip 126 of the lid section 100, is
provided as a lever to give mechanical advantage to a person
wishing to remove the cap 10 from the can.
The above described embodiments of this invention are merely
descriptive of its principles and are not to be limited. The scope
of this invention instead shall be determined from the scope of the
following claims, including their equivalents.
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